I am fascinated by this historical figure- Read on to learn what Christine has to say. Her research is impeccable and so interesting!

Why is Madame Tussaud’s in London?

I bet many of you have heard of (or even visited) one of the several Madame Tussaud locations around the world. You may have even visited the original location in London. You might even know that Marie Grosholtz Tussaud was nearly a victim of the French Revolution. But do you know why it is that she left her home country to try and establish her wax exhibition in the land of France’s greatest enemy, England?

Tussaud owned a fairly successful wax exhibition in Paris. However, changing tastes in post-Revolutionary France meant that the show began waning in public popularity. An opportunity presented itself in one Paul de Philipsthal, a fellow showman who convinced her to combine her wax exhibition with his Phantasmagoria show and put them both on display in England. (Details about what a Phantasmagoria is in a future post!) Together, he promised, they’d get very wealthy by providing unusual entertainments to the English.

Tussaud left her mother, husband, and her younger son behind in 1802, in her endeavor to “strike it rich” in Great Britain. Her plan was to travel for a couple of years and return when her “purse was full.” She bundled up her older son, Joseph, who was only four years old at the time, and headed over to England with about 40 pieces of her collection.

She would never set foot in France again.

Philipsthal was a bit of a charlatan. He convinced Tussaud to sign an extremely uneven contract with him, one in which he would take half of her profits until she could pay off the loan he gave her to get established in Great Britain. In return, he would pay to have her figures shipped around, and would also pay for advertising of both shows. Unfortunately, Philipsthal didn’t live up to his end of the bargain. Tussaud was stuck with paying for everything, AND repaying her loan, AND giving Philipsthal half of her profits.

Who could get out from under that mountain of expenses?

What was worse is that he ordered her from city to city to set up her show for temporary stays, usually timed with some sort of event or festival occurring in that city. In just a few years, she moved to London, Liverpool, York, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Greenock, Waterford, Dublin, Cork, Belfast, and many other cities, frequently returning to them over and over. In each location, she had to nearly single-handedly set up and dismantle her show, with only Joseph to help. Philipsthal typically went on to the next city before the hard work of moving the show began. Because of her tight purse strings, Tussaud minimized the use of any hired help, and would do nearly all of the work herself.

But Tussaud was a consummate perfectionist, businesswoman, and theatrical genius. With the help of a famous lawyer of the time, she finally managed to cut her ties with Philipsthal and continue on with her traveling show alone for the next 25 years. Her son Joseph grew up with the show and eventually became an expert waxworker himself. Her younger son, Francis, joined his brother and mother after becoming an adult, and the three of them ran the exhibition harmoniously together for many years.

In 1835, after traveling Great Britain relentlessly for more than 30 years, Tussaud and her sons brought the exhibition to a permanent stop at the Bazaar on Baker Street in London. Ironically, it was not a conscious decision to create a fixed location. However, both boys had married and had their own families, and Tussaud herself was now a 74-year old woman, making such a wandering lifestyle very impractical for all of them.

And so, with only one more move to a nearby location on Marylebone Road (which had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1925), the wax exhibition has been in basically the same place for 175 years. How many businesses can claim to have lasted that long?

A final note: Waxworking must be a very healthy activity. Madame Tussaud lived to the ripe old age of 89, dying in 1850. She was active with the exhibition until nearly her last breath. Her family took over the show, but at the death of her grandson, Bernard, the show was bought by a company that has grown it into the multi-site entertainment complex you see today.

A youthful Madame Tussaud:

A wax representation of Madame Tussaud in her later years:

THANK YOU so much Christine for your Amazing Post!!!

And now, for an absolutely Irresistible GIVEAWAY...Christine is graciously giving away a Personlized copy of TheQueen’s Dollmaker- Open Worldwide!!!

To Enter:

1 Chance: Please comnment on Christine's Post and leave me your email address.2 Chances every time you twitter or blog about this Giveaway- Come back with link please.5 Chances for posting this on your sidebar linking it back to here.5 Chances for new followers- (if you're already a follower, you get this automatically).

357 comments:

I really loved this post I am looking forward to reading both these books. Please enter me in the drawing. This book seem to be hard to find in my area bookstores otherwise i would have it already. awesome post!

Who knew this about Maddam Tussaud...I've had the opportunity to see her museum and passed it up because I thought it was a gimmick, tourist novelty. Would love to win "The Queen's Dollmaker" as part of my "French Oh La La" reading challenge. Thanks Lucy and Ms. Trent!rlphilbr13@aol.com

Oh what a wonderful post,,,and such a nice person,,,please enter me into the drawing I am already a follower and I will be adding this link to my sidebar under giveaways...thanks again..Devonhanna_563 at msn dot com

No need to enter me, I've already read this lovely book! I just wanted to say that this was a great guest post. I don't know that much about Tussaud, but the glimpse I got here and in the book makes me want to know all about her!!!

interest post! and interesting to know that there's a waxwork of madame tussaud. there is a museum here in san francisco that i hope to visit someday. good to know the backstory about it. and the book sounds just as informative and fun.vvb32 at yahoo.com+5 on my sidebari'm already a follower.

Please enter me! I'm a follower with Google Reader. And thank you for making this open worldwide.

I've been to Mme Tussaud's in London - chiefly what I remember about it is getting a glimpse into the place where statues are 'retired' - there is a regular turnover as people come into or go out of the public eye!

there are so many good books to read and things to see about history and romantic history. I am going to be pleased to add your books to my library. I love stories about historical figures. Some of my grandchildren are becoming advid readers also, so we all look forward to reading your books. a new fan rosepedal60@gmail.com

Miss Moppet - and even during Madame Tussaud's life she would rotate her figures to keep her traveling exhibition fresh and interesting. For example, if she went to Scotland, she made/pulled out figures that would appeal to the Scottish public.

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

It says I'm a Follower.I have heard much about this book and all of it has been very good. I look forward to reading it. Interesting post about Madame Tussaud. I've not heard her story before. I look forward to her next book on this subject.

+1 Great post Christine! I was lucky to visit the Hollywood Madame Tussaud's with my family when I was fifteen. It was definitely an experience and I would love to visit another location again someday...preferably London. I am really looking forward to your book about her. And I'm really hoping I win this copy of The Queen's Dollmaker. As an avid doll collector, I am really interested in reading your book.

My husband I visited Madame Tussaud on our first trip to the UK and found it a fascinating place to go. I think it should be on eveybodys list when in London. We found some of the waxworks of people that are in the public eye, not to be quite as well done as we would have liked, i.e. they did not look quite as they do in photos of them, but others were really superb.

Still Madame Tussaud's has been and still is the premier waxworks in the world and well worth a visit.

It is always fascinating to learn more about well know figures you have only a passing acquaintance with,so I enjoyed finding out more about the lady.

Teddy Rose - she did indeed live well beyond what most people did. And even from her deathbed she continued issuing instructions to her sons about what they should and should not do. She was a formidable force in the Victorian London entertainment scene.

Ladybug - I hope you have a chance to read the book and that you enjoy it.

Carol - my husband and I went to Madame Tussaud's in London one year with another couple. As the other husband was looking up at a scene of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, someone raced over to him, thinking she could have her picture taken with Steven Spielberg. Imagine her surprise when our friend spoke to her!

Another great post Chrintine, thanks. Only briefly had I heard of Madame Tussaud's name before but never really knew of her story. I will look forward to read your novel abou her, and thanks for the picture too, it's always good to match a face to a name =)

I'd love to win The Queen's Dollmaker - I've read so many good things about it! Thanks for the great post, Christine. I've been to Madame Tussaud's in London but don't know much about her as a historical figure.

I would love to visit Madame Tussaud’s one fine day. :) Wow, I never knew about her history before this...I only know that there are really cool wax figures on display. I'd love to read The Queen's Dollmaker to know more of Madame Tussaud. I love history.

Please count me in this giveaway and thanks for making it international. I'm already a follower.

Loved the article. I got to visit Madame Tussard's in London many years ago when I was 11 or 12. Book looks fascinating. best,Melodyallegromelody[at]gmail.comhttp://allegromelody.blogspot.com (I make art dolls)

I like the gorgeous cover (what a dress), but I'm glad I read the explanation and saw that it was about Madame Tussaud. My parents and I visited England when I was little and we saw the Chamber of Horrors in the Waxworks, with the severed head of Marie Antoinette and some poor nameless guy being garotted. Guess who couldn't sleep that night?

Allegro, I agree that Madame Tussaud's is fascinating. I'm glad you got to visit.

Marian, THE QUEEN'S DOLLMAKER is about a dollmaker to Marie Antoinette. Although you will meet Tussaud inside its pages, it is the sequel (due out next year) that is about Tussaud's time in England. And, yes, the poor guy being garotted left me a little queasy, too.

It sounds divine! I can't wait to learn more about it! Although, I do wish Madame Tussaud's today had more historical displays than celebrities...but I guess that is what she did...introduced people to the "it" crowd of her day!Emilymilady1066@yahoo.com

Emily, you are absolutely right: Madame Tussud was never interested in "educating" the public about history. It was always about the glitz and entertainment for her, and the exhibition has actually remained quite true to her vision for it.

Sorcha, Lucy and I are happy to make this an international giveaway. :)

I am so glad more details are coming about Phantasmagoria.(Details about what a Phantasmagoria is in a future post!)For me this is a new vocabulary word.

I enjoyed Christine Trent Guest's post very much. I could feel the excitement behind her words about the subject of "The Queen's Dollmaker."

I have often read about Madame Tussaud's wax figures in American and British mystery novels, romances, Gothic novels, etc. I have never seen any information about the woman.

Oddly, I never questioned the fact. Just accepted what I was given in the particular book I was reading at the time. No wonder I am not a Historical writer.

While reading the post, I was very happy to read about the reuniting of the family. How sad for a woman to be misused by a man. Unfortunately, it happened in those days and still happens in the present.

I really would love to win, read and review this book. I've been too nervous to even try writing a comment for the contest. The sheer idea of reading about the Queen's dollmaker takes my breath away. Thank you for having this contest. This is really exciting.

What a great post! I have been to a couple wax museums, but never hers. That book cover is really beautiful as well. I've visited before, but now I'm a follower. Please enter me in the giveaway. I'd love a chance to read this book.

Tea, "Phantasmagoria" was a new word for me, too, as I did research. You'll love learning about it. :) I, too, once had very little knowledge of Madame Tussaud. Heck, for a long time I didn't even understand that there was a real person with that name. I thought it was just some made up name for a wax museum!

Muse/Svea, I'm so glad that you were a winner of my book. You've been quite a faithful follower, and I really appreciate it!

Lee, I don't know what wax museums you've been to, but I can say that there are many levels of quality among them. Madame Tussauds is, of course, the hall of fame of wax museums, and will spoil you for anything else. :)